A Firm Foundation

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (ESV)

¹⁰ According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. ¹¹ For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— ¹³ each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴ If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Devotion:

            Everyone knows that when starting a building it is necessary to have a solid foundation. Any building built with a weak foundation will not survive any storm or disaster. If you have a good foundation, you can know that the structure will survive most storms or other disasters that come against it. It is the same when building your lives, either spiritual or physical, that you must start with an excellent foundation.

            Paul tells us here what the foundation for our spiritual lives must be. It must be Jesus Christ. There is no substitute. In our world today many people are building their lives on other foundations. The search for fame or fortune which can quickly go sideways leaving you shipwrecked. Others may try to medicate their way to happiness thru alcohol or drugs. Some experiment with sex and sexual identity. All these fail as a foundation because they cannot truly address the need for a solid starting place. They leave a person fragile and unable to cope when the seas of life get rough.

            Once you have laid an excellent foundation for your life in Jesus Christ you can start to build upon that foundation. Paul makes it clear in this passage that once the foundation of your spiritual life is Jesus you can be sure that you will be saved. The foundation will remain standing regardless of how you build upon it. The distinction Paul makes here is not between being saved and unsaved but what will be your reward at the judgement seat of Christ.

            So, we ask what are the building materials that will last through the fire of testing? We are not told explicitly what they are, so we must speculate what practices might be solid enough to make it through the fire. There is an old hymn of the faith called “How Firm a Foundation”. This hymn indicates that the word of God can lead you thru the fiery trial. The word is a solid way to build upon the foundation. We should all be using the word in study and in prayer. These practices will be solid building material for the Christian’s life. So let us pray that we build wisely and well.

Prayer:

            Lord Jesus, we want you to be the true foundation for our lives. That we might be saved by you. Help us to build our lives through the word that we have in our Bibles. Let us pray and study the word so that we may receive a reward on the last day when our faith is tried by fire. Grant to us a living and vital faith thru the practices of Bible reading, prayer, and study. Help us to nurture a close relationship with you in this life. That we may be blessed in the next. Amen.